Concert Info

Program

A Thousand ThoughtsA live documentary with the Kronos Quartet
Written and directed by Sam Green and Joe BiniWatch the trailer >

Oscar-nominated filmmakers Sam Green and Joe Bini have teamed up with Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet for a wildly creative multimedia performance piece that blends live music and narration with archival footage and filmed interviews with such prominent artists as Philip Glass, Tanya Tagaq, Steve Reich, Wu Man and Terry Riley. Together on stage, Green and Kronos interact with the stirring cinematic imagery on screen to craft an important record and exploration of late 20th– and early 21st–century music. As Green tells the multi-decade and continent-spanning story of the groundbreaking string quartet, Kronos revisits its extensive body of work, performing music by George Crumb, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Aleksandra Vrebalov and many others. Transcending the typical live music and film event, this collaboration quickly becomes a meditation on music itself – the act of listening to it closely, the experience of feeling it deeply, and the power that it has to change the world.

REVIEWS
“Mind-blowing… if it comes to a theater or concert hall near you, don’t miss what is a truly moving, sensurround experience.” – Newsweek

“A pensive, rewarding, and touching experience… You feel humbled and awed to watch these performers in action as the history of their lives—and of musicians who preceded them—flashes behind them… What I value most about this event is the degree to which all involved have built a career out of busting traditional boundaries and preconceptions. A Thousand Thoughts is a powerful motivation tool for anyone who bristles at the idea of fitting into neat little boxes. You don’t have to be bound by a category or by what’s been done before.” – Forbes

“Watching A Thousand Thoughts was the most joyous experience you could have at Sundance this year, but it was more like a shared secret than a breakout hit. There was nothing to buy after it was over, nothing to hype, just an ever-spreading grin and a warmth as elusive as perfume.” – Slate

“A Thousand Thoughts is as magical an amalgamation as anything you can imagine.” – Los Angeles Times

CREDITA Thousand Thoughts was commissioned by The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, Barbican, Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, Exploratorium, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MASS MoCA, Melbourne Festival, Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University through its Wexner Center Artist Residency Award program. Additional support was received from The DrumStick Fund, Genuine Article Pictures, JustFilms/Ford Foundation, Lear Family Foundation, Andrea Lunsford, The National Endowment for the Arts, Sundance Documentary Film Program with support from Open Society Foundation, Gottfried and Janet Tittiger, and Kenneth and Elizabeth Whitney. This film was supported by Sundance Catalyst.